NA, Senate sessions to be summoned after Eid

ISLAMABAD: The government has planned to summon the National Assembly session immediately after Eidul Fitr. The Senate session would also be summoned in the same week.

The sittings of the two houses would be conducted amid strict observation of corona SOPs. Parliamentary sources told The News on Saturday that May 17th (Monday) has been earmarked for the upcoming session of the NA. Officially, no date has been announced but the members have been indicated to be ready for the session. It is understood that the slated session would be highly contentious and noisy as the last session had been adjourned sine die in an indecent hast by the deputy speaker when the opposition wanted to raise some sensitive issues including the resolution pertaining to the expulsion of the French ambassador from Pakistan and details of accords with the TLP that led to a ban on the outfit.

The government has promulgated presidential ordinances between the sessions of the houses and the opposition intends to fiercely oppose the issuance of the ordinances and would impress the treasury to bring the ordinances in the house. The sources said that the government has no intention to lay the ordinances in the house to parry a debate on them. The government would like to lay the ordinances in the house in the last moments of the two houses’ sessions or could leave them for later sessions since the ordinances are valid till 120 days.

The opposition will take up the issue of Shahbaz Sharif’s offloading from a Doha-bound flight in the wee hours of Saturday when he was proceeding to London via Qatar for medical checkup after obtaining permission from the high court. The issue would be raised through an adjournment motion, the sources said. The price hike and issues of public interest would also be raised by the opposition, the sources pointed out and reminded that the summoning could be deferred if the lockdown is extended by the NCOC.